BERKELEY - THREE DIALOGUES
"George Berkeley is an exemplary example of why philosophers are known as crazy ... Claiming that there is no matter and everything we see is perception is unlikely to get you any brownie points."
THE BIBLE
"There's some comedy pieces like this guy Noah who forgot all the dinosaurs and left them to die instead of taking them on his super arc. Must have been a cold-hearted guy and let them drown like the chick in Titanic did to Leo. So did Noah paint the dinosaurs like one of his 'French girls'? ... I think the writers owe George Lucas some money for stealing his idea."
O'CONNOR - A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND
"I wouldn't recommend this book. I picked it up thinking it would give me a great story about a certain man in this world . . . and it squelched my hopes. I have a husband I love dearly and hardly get to see. When I do, I want to appreciate him more vs. find myself dwelling on the negative. This book was not positive and was a waste of my time I felt."
GOGOL - DEAD SOULS
"My 'thing' in general is that I like to assign colors to books. Like, a vampire book would be red, nothing special there. A science fiction book would be sparkly purple, a novel that contains a lot of sorrow is brownish-orange... Most of the Russian literature I've read are gray. So was Dead Souls. And I'm not too big a fan of that."
SHELLEY - EPIPSYCHIDION
"Percy Bitch Shelley (4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822), one of the faggot English Romantic poets and, critically regarded as among the gayest lyric poets in the English language"
DANTE - THE DIVINE COMEDY
"Would Not Make It In Today's World
One of those classics that would not make it in today's world. There are some humorous parts, but the America is so over the edge with its shock culture, such as shock rock, and shock news that it makes this book seem quite dated."
KANT - PROLEGOMENA
"Metaphysics? Come on, Kant! Do you think anyone worries about this dross anymore?"
NABOKOV - LOLITA
"how is this bad?
I thought this story was awful! a waste of money and time. I had read that it was so wrong that it was banned, but why?, there was nothing to make it wrong! perhaps the bad bits were taken out I don't know but it bored me half to tears. All it was was some old guy whining about his bratty child."
SHAKESPEARE - MACBETH
"I found the way Macbeth finished a bit ironic because the whole purpose of Macbeths irrational killings were so that he could become King, yet the play ends with Macduff as king."
CATHER - MY ÁNTONIA
"Gosh darn it - I didn't like this book. I got lost in all the adjectives. Maybe I gave up too soon, I only ready like 30 pages, but I skimmed through the book and it seemed to continue to have the same amount of adjectives."
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Franz Kafka - The Metamorphosis III
"Franz Khafka’s The Metamorphosis leaves you with the suspicion that maybe he was physically was not turned into an insect but possibly psychologically."
"Weird. Weirdo. What did I just read.... nah not for me...."
"The writer has a very unusual imagination, which results in the ability to tell a disjointed and sometimes confusing story. By illustration, I could start talking about pink elephants now with no justification or sense but it would not make me a 'famous author'. It may simply be that I prefer other styles of writing, although this is very wide ranging - from Tolkein through Science Fiction to Science Fact."
"Kafka is just boring. That's about it, really. He can turn an idea like waking up, finding out you've turned into a bug, and create a dull read from it. Many go on about Tolkien- how he drolls on and it takes ages to go anywhere (yes a whole chapter it takes for Bilbo to start his journey in The Hobbit- the cad!) But The Metamorphosis is only about 40 pages long and doesn't go anywhere! It's so slow. But everyone says Kafka's a genius of modern literature, so i must be wrong."
"Bought this book. In October 2001. And I didn't finish it until yesterday (March 2002). It was that boring ... Of the stories featured in this collection (Metamorphosis, The Great Wall of China, The Burrow, The Penal Settlement, and The Giant Mole), not one really stands out as being any good. Maybe Metamorphosis is somewhat original, albeit with a predictable twist at the end ... Anyway, if you have enough money to buy this, make sure you have the sense not too."
"dude, i looked up the plot summary and i hated it because he dies at the end."
"You can try to look for some deeper meaning in the text, I’ve tried, but really the story just pisses me off more everytime I try to read it. This past reading I just kept waiting for it to end. This is like a 30 page story for crying out loud. It shouldn’t be so painful."
"The opening line of the book is famous in English:
'As Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect.'
Famous line in English. Someone can write one sentence and everyone else can call it famous? Why?
I guess that means I'm gonna be famous:
'As I woke one morning from an easy wet dream I found myself with massive morning wood.' -I am now self-declared famous. That's just pure, deep, virtuostic literature.
This book is stupid. So there can be 130+ different interpretations about it? Who fucking cares? I think we all just need to move on with our lives and not get hung up with it because it is nothing more than a Kafka acid trip. The story also speaks of Gregor's family locking him in his room to keep the 'closet door' shit. Gregor tries to 'break out' and 'come out'. Hello, it's obvious- Gregor is a fag and is just bitter about his father molesting him. That's what this whole thing about dad being abusive is about. At the very end daddy notices how hawt his daughter is. Now he will molest her, duh."
"Weird. Weirdo. What did I just read.... nah not for me...."
"The writer has a very unusual imagination, which results in the ability to tell a disjointed and sometimes confusing story. By illustration, I could start talking about pink elephants now with no justification or sense but it would not make me a 'famous author'. It may simply be that I prefer other styles of writing, although this is very wide ranging - from Tolkein through Science Fiction to Science Fact."
"Kafka is just boring. That's about it, really. He can turn an idea like waking up, finding out you've turned into a bug, and create a dull read from it. Many go on about Tolkien- how he drolls on and it takes ages to go anywhere (yes a whole chapter it takes for Bilbo to start his journey in The Hobbit- the cad!) But The Metamorphosis is only about 40 pages long and doesn't go anywhere! It's so slow. But everyone says Kafka's a genius of modern literature, so i must be wrong."
"Bought this book. In October 2001. And I didn't finish it until yesterday (March 2002). It was that boring ... Of the stories featured in this collection (Metamorphosis, The Great Wall of China, The Burrow, The Penal Settlement, and The Giant Mole), not one really stands out as being any good. Maybe Metamorphosis is somewhat original, albeit with a predictable twist at the end ... Anyway, if you have enough money to buy this, make sure you have the sense not too."
"dude, i looked up the plot summary and i hated it because he dies at the end."
"You can try to look for some deeper meaning in the text, I’ve tried, but really the story just pisses me off more everytime I try to read it. This past reading I just kept waiting for it to end. This is like a 30 page story for crying out loud. It shouldn’t be so painful."
"The opening line of the book is famous in English:
'As Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect.'
Famous line in English. Someone can write one sentence and everyone else can call it famous? Why?
I guess that means I'm gonna be famous:
'As I woke one morning from an easy wet dream I found myself with massive morning wood.' -I am now self-declared famous. That's just pure, deep, virtuostic literature.
This book is stupid. So there can be 130+ different interpretations about it? Who fucking cares? I think we all just need to move on with our lives and not get hung up with it because it is nothing more than a Kafka acid trip. The story also speaks of Gregor's family locking him in his room to keep the 'closet door' shit. Gregor tries to 'break out' and 'come out'. Hello, it's obvious- Gregor is a fag and is just bitter about his father molesting him. That's what this whole thing about dad being abusive is about. At the very end daddy notices how hawt his daughter is. Now he will molest her, duh."
Saturday, May 26, 2012
William Faulkner - A Rose for Emily
"EW, CREEPY"
"Every high school kid's introduction to pedophilia...ahhh the memories."
"It was very well written, but I don't like things just because they're well written."
"In an article I read they compared his work to Edgar Allen Poe how dear they"
"If you are looking for a quick read in the gothic area A rose for Emily is definitely not it."
"Every high school kid's introduction to pedophilia...ahhh the memories."
"It was very well written, but I don't like things just because they're well written."
"In an article I read they compared his work to Edgar Allen Poe how dear they"
"If you are looking for a quick read in the gothic area A rose for Emily is definitely not it."
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Willa Cather - My Ántonia II
"Hard read."
"BOOOOOOOOORING."
"I love to write and I love to read. But there's only so much I can read about the open prarie and immigrants"
"I thought 'My Antonia' was long and confusing because of all the things the story referred to that people today no longer use ... Another thing is, the Introduction alone was aproximately 14.5 pages long!!!!"
"I find that this book is best for an older audience that doesn't have much going on or simply a person who needs no excitement in their life. This book I imagine would be great for a person going through a mid-life crisis trying to decide when they got old and lost their youth. I on the other hand look for a story that makes me think a little bit more about un-knowns of the world not just a rehashed love story that puts me to sleep instead of leaving me begging to go on."
"I will never read any of this woman's books again. It should be a crime to even call her an author. It should be a federal offense to call her a good author. I don't know how this book got published."
"I hated every page of this book, and think that any good reviews given to it came from the worst lying scum to ever deface this planet we call Earth. I suggest not buying it. It isn't even worthy of the 1 star that I gave it."
"Now, I'm sure many 'enjoy' this based on the hype. The fact that this book got published, let alone highly reviewed, astounds me. I would not give this anything greater than a C- if a 12 year old wrote this. I think that this is an example of people believing it should be good because it is old."
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"Yet another chick flick.
Don't read it. It is somewhat interesting to a certain degree, but is almost right down there with Sense and Sensibility. Jim Burden falls for a foreign girl, who is older than himself, named Antonia. Turns out, she gets pregnant and screws herself up really good."
"reading it for most teenagers like myself is more like a tourture"
"Ugh this was the worst book that I have ever read I hope that this woman is retired so she dosn't scare us with another horrid book. This book has absolutly no meaning no theme or anything. My English teacher assigned this book to us which shows how bad a English techer she is. This book is an insult to American Lititure. Please throw this book in the garbage.The only reason I gave this book a star is because of the picture.It dosn't even deserve that."
"BOOOOOOOOORING."
"I love to write and I love to read. But there's only so much I can read about the open prarie and immigrants"
"I thought 'My Antonia' was long and confusing because of all the things the story referred to that people today no longer use ... Another thing is, the Introduction alone was aproximately 14.5 pages long!!!!"
"I find that this book is best for an older audience that doesn't have much going on or simply a person who needs no excitement in their life. This book I imagine would be great for a person going through a mid-life crisis trying to decide when they got old and lost their youth. I on the other hand look for a story that makes me think a little bit more about un-knowns of the world not just a rehashed love story that puts me to sleep instead of leaving me begging to go on."
"I will never read any of this woman's books again. It should be a crime to even call her an author. It should be a federal offense to call her a good author. I don't know how this book got published."
"I hated every page of this book, and think that any good reviews given to it came from the worst lying scum to ever deface this planet we call Earth. I suggest not buying it. It isn't even worthy of the 1 star that I gave it."
"Now, I'm sure many 'enjoy' this based on the hype. The fact that this book got published, let alone highly reviewed, astounds me. I would not give this anything greater than a C- if a 12 year old wrote this. I think that this is an example of people believing it should be good because it is old."
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"Yet another chick flick.
Don't read it. It is somewhat interesting to a certain degree, but is almost right down there with Sense and Sensibility. Jim Burden falls for a foreign girl, who is older than himself, named Antonia. Turns out, she gets pregnant and screws herself up really good."
"reading it for most teenagers like myself is more like a tourture"
"Ugh this was the worst book that I have ever read I hope that this woman is retired so she dosn't scare us with another horrid book. This book has absolutly no meaning no theme or anything. My English teacher assigned this book to us which shows how bad a English techer she is. This book is an insult to American Lititure. Please throw this book in the garbage.The only reason I gave this book a star is because of the picture.It dosn't even deserve that."
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Willa Cather - My Ántonia
"This book sucks. Suckity sucks."
"A tour de force of shit."
"It is narrated by Jim but seemed to focus a lot on Antonia!"
"I detest the new 20th century fad of writing a 200 page book in which NOTHING happens, and relying only on character developement and good diction to sell it. Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, Chuck Pahlaniuk and a majority of the best writers in history knew that stories depend in part on the plots that they revolve around, and for a book with such glowing reviews and critical praise, it reads about the same way one would imagine a detailed, first-hand account of a waiting-room in purgatory to read. The only thing I learned from this story was to never, NEEEEEVEEEEER live in Nebraska. After reading this, I contend that living in Nebraska is easily a fate worse than death."
"I'm not sure if I finished reading it, or if I threw the book at the wall because who gives a crap about Red Wheat? Yeah, I'm sure it's a beautiful look at prairie life or wherever the hell it was they lived, but if I wanted that I'd watch old reruns of Little House on the Prairie on the Hallmark channel (which, believe me I have)."
"Not a intriguing story! Its like ice cream without fat or sugar, it lacks everything good. This book isn't read for pleasure. This thing is the ultimate English teacher's revenge!! Thank goodness they made a movie so other teens won't have to read that sad item!!"
"For one thing, Ms. Cathers elaborates in the details of people's lives way too much. Do I really need to know so many things??"
"Well not only is American history highly boring compared to the lengthier histories of the rest of the world, this book irritated me in the same way the Puritans annoy the hell out of me."
"Gosh darn it - I didn't like this book. I got lost in all the adjectives. Maybe I gave up too soon, I only ready like 30 pages, but I skimmed through the book and it seemed to continue to have the same amount of adjectives."
"I got to the part with the backflash with the Russians driving the wedding party on the dogsled...I thought it was funny, but it wasn't supposed to be funny."
"just too deep for me and I didn't feel like thinking about it."
"A tour de force of shit."
"It is narrated by Jim but seemed to focus a lot on Antonia!"
"I detest the new 20th century fad of writing a 200 page book in which NOTHING happens, and relying only on character developement and good diction to sell it. Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, Chuck Pahlaniuk and a majority of the best writers in history knew that stories depend in part on the plots that they revolve around, and for a book with such glowing reviews and critical praise, it reads about the same way one would imagine a detailed, first-hand account of a waiting-room in purgatory to read. The only thing I learned from this story was to never, NEEEEEVEEEEER live in Nebraska. After reading this, I contend that living in Nebraska is easily a fate worse than death."
"I'm not sure if I finished reading it, or if I threw the book at the wall because who gives a crap about Red Wheat? Yeah, I'm sure it's a beautiful look at prairie life or wherever the hell it was they lived, but if I wanted that I'd watch old reruns of Little House on the Prairie on the Hallmark channel (which, believe me I have)."
"Not a intriguing story! Its like ice cream without fat or sugar, it lacks everything good. This book isn't read for pleasure. This thing is the ultimate English teacher's revenge!! Thank goodness they made a movie so other teens won't have to read that sad item!!"
"For one thing, Ms. Cathers elaborates in the details of people's lives way too much. Do I really need to know so many things??"
"Well not only is American history highly boring compared to the lengthier histories of the rest of the world, this book irritated me in the same way the Puritans annoy the hell out of me."
"Gosh darn it - I didn't like this book. I got lost in all the adjectives. Maybe I gave up too soon, I only ready like 30 pages, but I skimmed through the book and it seemed to continue to have the same amount of adjectives."
"I got to the part with the backflash with the Russians driving the wedding party on the dogsled...I thought it was funny, but it wasn't supposed to be funny."
"just too deep for me and I didn't feel like thinking about it."
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Shakespeare - Macbeth II
"Very tedious...
What else can you possibly say about Shakespeare's work?"
"Just your average Shakespeare."
"Regretfully, I have read this play."
"In the theatre community we call this one 'The Scottish Play'."
"It was old and stupid. :("
"Read for English class. Not my cup of tea, I prefer the more modern novels with sexy guys in them, tehee :)"
"...so bad."
"I think the writing in its time was difficult four ours"
"I found the way Macbeth finished a bit ironic because the whole purpose of Macbeths irrational killings were so that he could become King, yet the play ends with Macduff as king."
"It was not exactly my type of literature piece. I tend to prefer books where the main character stays true and noble throughout the story."
"The character development is unmatched in any of his other work (which isn't saying too much)."
"I think it would of been more interesting if it was writen in the english we speak now."
What else can you possibly say about Shakespeare's work?"
"Just your average Shakespeare."
"Regretfully, I have read this play."
"In the theatre community we call this one 'The Scottish Play'."
"It was old and stupid. :("
"Read for English class. Not my cup of tea, I prefer the more modern novels with sexy guys in them, tehee :)"
"...so bad."
"I think the writing in its time was difficult four ours"
"I found the way Macbeth finished a bit ironic because the whole purpose of Macbeths irrational killings were so that he could become King, yet the play ends with Macduff as king."
"It was not exactly my type of literature piece. I tend to prefer books where the main character stays true and noble throughout the story."
"The character development is unmatched in any of his other work (which isn't saying too much)."
"I think it would of been more interesting if it was writen in the english we speak now."
Thursday, May 17, 2012
James George Frazer - The Golden Bough
"Sir James George Frazer was a total idiot, for many original and awesome reasons ... We always need more good reasons why Frazer was an idiot! It is an entire sub-field!"
"Unfortunately Frazer's work doesn't stand the test of time; modern ways of looking at anthropology, mythology and pagan religious practice are different"
"It’s the most retarded statement in history."
"It's shit we debunked a century ago. And it's alive and well in the minds of a lot of people out there."
"retarded, very, funny, try, not, to, laught, or, stay, chocked, OMG!"
"Anthrogology is EVIL, it's the work of the devil, made to collect your
souls and to turn you into brainless slaves of hell.
If you like anthropology, you will lose your soul to be damned
for eternal torment in hell.Demons and devils will feast on your soul
for all eternity.
So stop supporting this ultimate evil now to save your soul.
Or the holy inquisition will come for you and burn your flesh to save
your soul, because the devil must not collect more souls or nobody can
prevent Armageddon.
Anthropology is evil, studying it is BLASPHEMY , only heretics and
witches like anthropology.And heretics and witches shall BURN !"
"Unfortunately Frazer's work doesn't stand the test of time; modern ways of looking at anthropology, mythology and pagan religious practice are different"
"It’s the most retarded statement in history."
"It's shit we debunked a century ago. And it's alive and well in the minds of a lot of people out there."
"retarded, very, funny, try, not, to, laught, or, stay, chocked, OMG!"
"Anthrogology is EVIL, it's the work of the devil, made to collect your
souls and to turn you into brainless slaves of hell.
If you like anthropology, you will lose your soul to be damned
for eternal torment in hell.Demons and devils will feast on your soul
for all eternity.
So stop supporting this ultimate evil now to save your soul.
Or the holy inquisition will come for you and burn your flesh to save
your soul, because the devil must not collect more souls or nobody can
prevent Armageddon.
Anthropology is evil, studying it is BLASPHEMY , only heretics and
witches like anthropology.And heretics and witches shall BURN !"
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita V
"it's a good narrative of a trendy topic."
"I was REALLY into this book at first, loved the sexual tension, the illicit seemingly uncontrollable lust but then it fizzled."
"I read this book fully aware of the subject matter, but I expected to find some higher morality or insight into it."
"how is this bad?
I thought this story was awful! a waste of money and time. I had read that it was so wrong that it was banned, but why?, there was nothing to make it wrong! perhaps the bad bits were taken out I don't know but it bored me half to tears. All it was was some old guy whining about his bratty child."
"It is an insidious attempt by those who have twisted minds to encourage child rape, or even give child rape recognised legal status. Therefore 'Lolita' is a moral monstrosity, and indeed, creative expressions are often the most insidious means of making society more perverse. Yes, there are powerful people out there who want to make society more peverse, believe me."
"this book is the dullest thing since Dull Dan Macdull got a job with dullux paints and invented the dullest shade of beige every invented."
"Lolita's a butterfly, she's beautiful (to him) and it's a love story. Humbert's love for Lolita is depraved by virtue of societies rules but otherwise it is as pure and well founded as affection can be, and the novel is thus a tragedy."
"I was on Humbert’s side the entire time. Dolly/Lo/Lola/Lolita was real bitch, but it can be excused ‘cause she was a little girl. I only really liked her at the end when I saw she was happy with her Dick (lol). I wanted them to be together for Humbert’s sake throughout the book, but was happy with how it ended - with Lo more than happy with Dick, her baby, and all that dough, but felt sad for Humbert’s end."
"Like most Russian-authored books, a great deal of the value in Lolita is determined by the quality of the translation. Fortunately, there are several good options on the market today, due to the work's wide popularity."
"If the subject were not so titillating, the unbearable writing style would have strangled the life right out of the book. I found Lolita tedious because the narrator wouldn't get out of the way of the story. In order to write about this forbidden subject, Nabakov created a crazy man to draw attention away from the author. I'm not fooled by the trick. He wrote it, and it is still pretentious tripe."
"I was REALLY into this book at first, loved the sexual tension, the illicit seemingly uncontrollable lust but then it fizzled."
"I read this book fully aware of the subject matter, but I expected to find some higher morality or insight into it."
"how is this bad?
I thought this story was awful! a waste of money and time. I had read that it was so wrong that it was banned, but why?, there was nothing to make it wrong! perhaps the bad bits were taken out I don't know but it bored me half to tears. All it was was some old guy whining about his bratty child."
"It is an insidious attempt by those who have twisted minds to encourage child rape, or even give child rape recognised legal status. Therefore 'Lolita' is a moral monstrosity, and indeed, creative expressions are often the most insidious means of making society more perverse. Yes, there are powerful people out there who want to make society more peverse, believe me."
"this book is the dullest thing since Dull Dan Macdull got a job with dullux paints and invented the dullest shade of beige every invented."
"Lolita's a butterfly, she's beautiful (to him) and it's a love story. Humbert's love for Lolita is depraved by virtue of societies rules but otherwise it is as pure and well founded as affection can be, and the novel is thus a tragedy."
"I was on Humbert’s side the entire time. Dolly/Lo/Lola/Lolita was real bitch, but it can be excused ‘cause she was a little girl. I only really liked her at the end when I saw she was happy with her Dick (lol). I wanted them to be together for Humbert’s sake throughout the book, but was happy with how it ended - with Lo more than happy with Dick, her baby, and all that dough, but felt sad for Humbert’s end."
"Like most Russian-authored books, a great deal of the value in Lolita is determined by the quality of the translation. Fortunately, there are several good options on the market today, due to the work's wide popularity."
"If the subject were not so titillating, the unbearable writing style would have strangled the life right out of the book. I found Lolita tedious because the narrator wouldn't get out of the way of the story. In order to write about this forbidden subject, Nabakov created a crazy man to draw attention away from the author. I'm not fooled by the trick. He wrote it, and it is still pretentious tripe."
Monday, May 14, 2012
Kant - Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics
"The Antinomies are too complex and mysterious to the instrument of Reason: this is why one should be so enthusiastic to end It [i.e. the Reason] through Aleister Crowley's ' Liber OS ABYSMI vel DAATH,' which will cause a replacement of It with Ultimately Higher Faculties."
"People always think I'm making some sort of joke or being funny when I tell 'em they should read this here book if they're having trouble sleeping. I'm not. I tell them that the key to conking out while reading this book is to not merely skim along, reading it at a surface level, but to try to understand it. Put as much energy and effort into understanding it that you can. That will knock you out for a full night's sleep. Yup. If it doesn't put you to sleep, then you will have gained a critical understanding of one of the most influential works of modern philosophy...a field so dead that something written in 1772 is considered modern."
"Metaphysics? Come on, Kant! Do you think anyone worries about this dross anymore?"
"highly recommended for an excercise in pretension."
"So many philosophers have written against Pure Reason and the Categorical Imperative, even in his own lifetime, that I hope Old Kant will someday be forgotten."
"Kant was a charlatan who misrepresents the great skeptic philosopher David Hume throughout this monument to logical obfuscation. The plot turns on an attempt to redefine metaphysics for the rest of eternity (now that Hume has essentially disproved its usefulness). Will he succeed? You can be the judge, if you like, but please take the time to read Hume's brilliant work before you waste any time (or money) on this scoundrel's scientific-sounding drivel!
Kant is one of the main reasons philosophy and philosophers are today considered boring. He influenced a generation of fools after him, most notably Hegel and Schoepenhauer. I can attest that Hegel's work is no more valuable, equally unintelligible and obscure, it clearly had no positive influence on history. His idiocy is the main reason why later philosophers Marx and Nieszche, for example, come off sounding so angry! As German intellectuals they had to swim in a sea of Kantian nonsense!"
"People always think I'm making some sort of joke or being funny when I tell 'em they should read this here book if they're having trouble sleeping. I'm not. I tell them that the key to conking out while reading this book is to not merely skim along, reading it at a surface level, but to try to understand it. Put as much energy and effort into understanding it that you can. That will knock you out for a full night's sleep. Yup. If it doesn't put you to sleep, then you will have gained a critical understanding of one of the most influential works of modern philosophy...a field so dead that something written in 1772 is considered modern."
"Metaphysics? Come on, Kant! Do you think anyone worries about this dross anymore?"
"highly recommended for an excercise in pretension."
"So many philosophers have written against Pure Reason and the Categorical Imperative, even in his own lifetime, that I hope Old Kant will someday be forgotten."
"Kant was a charlatan who misrepresents the great skeptic philosopher David Hume throughout this monument to logical obfuscation. The plot turns on an attempt to redefine metaphysics for the rest of eternity (now that Hume has essentially disproved its usefulness). Will he succeed? You can be the judge, if you like, but please take the time to read Hume's brilliant work before you waste any time (or money) on this scoundrel's scientific-sounding drivel!
Kant is one of the main reasons philosophy and philosophers are today considered boring. He influenced a generation of fools after him, most notably Hegel and Schoepenhauer. I can attest that Hegel's work is no more valuable, equally unintelligible and obscure, it clearly had no positive influence on history. His idiocy is the main reason why later philosophers Marx and Nieszche, for example, come off sounding so angry! As German intellectuals they had to swim in a sea of Kantian nonsense!"
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Dante - The Divine Comedy III
"If it were published today, it would need serious improvements in the narrative form to keep up with the style of modern fantasy literature."
"Does anyone else think that Dante spent way too much time thinking up really hurtful things to do to everyone who ever even looked at him funny? ... once one realizes how many enemies Dante and his family had, and then read the books, you may wonder if Dante would have had a more fulfilling life if he learned forgiveness early on... I also wonder about what he could have written if he didn't have so much pent-up hatred."
"I cant believe they make high school students read this! Its an angry passive agressive man's attempt to write a book!"
"Dante uses an incredibly convoluted form of language and takes many lines to get his point across. Many sentences make no sense at all and must be examined in the greatest of detail to discern their meaning ... avoid The Divine Comedy outright, regardless of the edition; be it Wordsworth or the alternative from the Oxford Classics, you'll get confused relatively early on."
"I just wanna say that much I hate 'the divine comedy' the game looks good. Much similar to GoW. Even if we don't play it the rest of the world will and some of them will probably want to know about this Mr dante since EA will highlight the name in the game. And so a person who should be hated for such an act will become more popular."
"Much of my problem with this book was religious, namely the conflict between my atheism and Dante's Catholicism. I have trouble stomaching the idea that unborn babies and those born before Christianity universally belong in Hell, even in a part of Hell that includes no other torments but hopelessness. Furthermore, I find many forms of what would have been considered sodomy to be blameless, and I also have trouble believing that those who are false and traitorous should be in a lower circle than murderers. Heretics are also, obviously, blameless to the unbeliever ... Dante's Inferno may have once been a thrilling read, but that was quite a few hundred years ago."
"tHE iNFERXON
The book was in rather bad shape. With all the the writings, etc,.
it made it hard to read."
"Would Not Make It In Today's World
One of those classics that would not make it in today's world. There are some humorous parts, but the America is so over the edge with its shock culture, such as shock rock, and shock news that it makes this book seem quite dated."
"'The Comedy' is a collection of nonsense from an age so seeped in religious nonsense that nothing was in excess in the name of God. Considered a 'Classic' by generations of Christian zealots. I consider it (brace yourselves) trash."
"Why people feel so touchy about the books they 'should' like? Classic or not, who cares? Damn, I HATE the Divine Comedy. No big deal."
NO. NO! NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OBSESSIVELY CATEGORIZING ALL PEOPLE BASED ON HOW CLOSELY THEIR NICHE INTERESTS FIT YOUR OWN SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH
"Does anyone else think that Dante spent way too much time thinking up really hurtful things to do to everyone who ever even looked at him funny? ... once one realizes how many enemies Dante and his family had, and then read the books, you may wonder if Dante would have had a more fulfilling life if he learned forgiveness early on... I also wonder about what he could have written if he didn't have so much pent-up hatred."
"I cant believe they make high school students read this! Its an angry passive agressive man's attempt to write a book!"
"Dante uses an incredibly convoluted form of language and takes many lines to get his point across. Many sentences make no sense at all and must be examined in the greatest of detail to discern their meaning ... avoid The Divine Comedy outright, regardless of the edition; be it Wordsworth or the alternative from the Oxford Classics, you'll get confused relatively early on."
"I just wanna say that much I hate 'the divine comedy' the game looks good. Much similar to GoW. Even if we don't play it the rest of the world will and some of them will probably want to know about this Mr dante since EA will highlight the name in the game. And so a person who should be hated for such an act will become more popular."
"Much of my problem with this book was religious, namely the conflict between my atheism and Dante's Catholicism. I have trouble stomaching the idea that unborn babies and those born before Christianity universally belong in Hell, even in a part of Hell that includes no other torments but hopelessness. Furthermore, I find many forms of what would have been considered sodomy to be blameless, and I also have trouble believing that those who are false and traitorous should be in a lower circle than murderers. Heretics are also, obviously, blameless to the unbeliever ... Dante's Inferno may have once been a thrilling read, but that was quite a few hundred years ago."
"tHE iNFERXON
The book was in rather bad shape. With all the the writings, etc,.
it made it hard to read."
"Would Not Make It In Today's World
One of those classics that would not make it in today's world. There are some humorous parts, but the America is so over the edge with its shock culture, such as shock rock, and shock news that it makes this book seem quite dated."
"'The Comedy' is a collection of nonsense from an age so seeped in religious nonsense that nothing was in excess in the name of God. Considered a 'Classic' by generations of Christian zealots. I consider it (brace yourselves) trash."
"Why people feel so touchy about the books they 'should' like? Classic or not, who cares? Damn, I HATE the Divine Comedy. No big deal."
NO. NO! NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OBSESSIVELY CATEGORIZING ALL PEOPLE BASED ON HOW CLOSELY THEIR NICHE INTERESTS FIT YOUR OWN SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH
Thursday, May 10, 2012
P. B. Shelley - Epipsychidion
"Percy Bitch Shelley (4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822), one of the faggot English Romantic poets and, critically regarded as among the gayest lyric poets in the English language"
"Please save your time and don't read this book. I've never read a book that has repulsed me so."
"hes a homosexual because he had a relationship with lord byron"
"Shelley is a minor and one-dimensional poet"
"That awkward moment when you realize that your least favorite poet happens to be taking over your life.
FUCK YOU, SHELLEY ... NOW I HAVE TO WRITE A PAPER ABOUT BROWNING THAT IS GOING TO TURN INTO A PAPER ABOUT SHELLEY. JESUS FUCK.
At least it’s not Wordsworth.
#honors track #english major"
"Please save your time and don't read this book. I've never read a book that has repulsed me so."
"hes a homosexual because he had a relationship with lord byron"
"Shelley is a minor and one-dimensional poet"
"That awkward moment when you realize that your least favorite poet happens to be taking over your life.
FUCK YOU, SHELLEY ... NOW I HAVE TO WRITE A PAPER ABOUT BROWNING THAT IS GOING TO TURN INTO A PAPER ABOUT SHELLEY. JESUS FUCK.
At least it’s not Wordsworth.
#honors track #english major"
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Nikolai Gogol - Dead Souls
"This book was just not my cup of tea. Too much solid text to concentrate on"
"personally as a new reading addict these are the kind of books that make me not want to read."
"Gogol had a childish and pathetic hissy-fit when the public called him out on his inadequate novel, and he acted like an immature little bitch. The narrative begins preaching back, mocking, teasing, defending itself, back-pedaling, and even begging. Gogol acts like a bad stand-up comic unprofessionally responding to a heckler. He falters, trembles, and embarrasses himself trying to retaliate. He thus shows his vulnerabilities, and spectacularly fails. Seeing a heckler beat out a stand-up comic makes for some uncomfortable watching, and it gives the impression that one is watching…wait for it…a bad comic. Same goes here. Instead of throwing a tantrum and making up elaborate excuses about ‘actually writing an epic prose-poem’ and burning them because of insecurities over a not-so-good book, get over yourself, do your five minutes, and get the fuck off the stage. Better yet? Don’t even show up."
"Boring, incoherent. If I did not had the habit of finishing what I read , I would have kept it aside after reading the first 50 pages. Gogol did not finish it, probably he realized himself that how monotonous the book had become."
"My main issue was the confusion of intent. Am I supposed to read it humorously? satirically? seriously? ironically? There is no clear indication provided by the author."
"Gogol is very attentive to detail, which is something I appreciate if it's not over done. His descriptions, however, were way too detailed and way too long for me most of the time. I think this was my biggest problem with the book. And my 'thing' in general is that I like to assign colors to books. Like, a vampire book would be red, nothing special there. A science fiction book would be sparkly purple, a novel that contains a lot of sorrow is brownish-orange... Most of the Russian literature I've read are gray. So was Dead Souls. And I'm not too big a fan of that."
"Thanks to Gogol and his missing manuscript pages which, combined with the consistent Russian name conundrum, left many holes in the story and possibly the shallowest ending in the history of classics. What author could get away with that today?.... 'Oh.. sorry publisher... my dog ate some of the chapters, so we'll just let the readers attempt to connect the dots of the story. I mean, I'm sure people are so desperate for entertainment, they will overlook a little detail like continuity.' (In other words, hopefully my readers' creativity will actually improve this train wreck of a story)."
"I can't believe I agreed to read this. Gogol is so EMO!"
"personally as a new reading addict these are the kind of books that make me not want to read."
"Gogol had a childish and pathetic hissy-fit when the public called him out on his inadequate novel, and he acted like an immature little bitch. The narrative begins preaching back, mocking, teasing, defending itself, back-pedaling, and even begging. Gogol acts like a bad stand-up comic unprofessionally responding to a heckler. He falters, trembles, and embarrasses himself trying to retaliate. He thus shows his vulnerabilities, and spectacularly fails. Seeing a heckler beat out a stand-up comic makes for some uncomfortable watching, and it gives the impression that one is watching…wait for it…a bad comic. Same goes here. Instead of throwing a tantrum and making up elaborate excuses about ‘actually writing an epic prose-poem’ and burning them because of insecurities over a not-so-good book, get over yourself, do your five minutes, and get the fuck off the stage. Better yet? Don’t even show up."
"Boring, incoherent. If I did not had the habit of finishing what I read , I would have kept it aside after reading the first 50 pages. Gogol did not finish it, probably he realized himself that how monotonous the book had become."
"My main issue was the confusion of intent. Am I supposed to read it humorously? satirically? seriously? ironically? There is no clear indication provided by the author."
"Gogol is very attentive to detail, which is something I appreciate if it's not over done. His descriptions, however, were way too detailed and way too long for me most of the time. I think this was my biggest problem with the book. And my 'thing' in general is that I like to assign colors to books. Like, a vampire book would be red, nothing special there. A science fiction book would be sparkly purple, a novel that contains a lot of sorrow is brownish-orange... Most of the Russian literature I've read are gray. So was Dead Souls. And I'm not too big a fan of that."
"Thanks to Gogol and his missing manuscript pages which, combined with the consistent Russian name conundrum, left many holes in the story and possibly the shallowest ending in the history of classics. What author could get away with that today?.... 'Oh.. sorry publisher... my dog ate some of the chapters, so we'll just let the readers attempt to connect the dots of the story. I mean, I'm sure people are so desperate for entertainment, they will overlook a little detail like continuity.' (In other words, hopefully my readers' creativity will actually improve this train wreck of a story)."
"I can't believe I agreed to read this. Gogol is so EMO!"
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Flannery O'Connor - A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories
"I've never before been able to stomach reading Flannery O'Connor, but always felt like I should read her. Well I got through these stories and am so grateful that I never have to read this twisted, contemptuous, un-Christian (I know she claims to be Catholic), despicable author again."
"In particular, plotwise, I thought the stop at the restaurant added very little to the overall tale except for maybe a few pages of length."
"Maybe this was groundbreaking back in the day--a Southern woman telling it like it was, instead of being all polite and ladylike--but it's uninteresting today. Kind of like how I'm not all that impressed by Star Wars."
"I wouldn't recommend this book. I picked it up thinking it would give me a great story about a certain man in this world . . . and it squelched my hopes. I have a husband I love dearly and hardly get to see. When I do, I want to appreciate him more vs. find myself dwelling on the negative. This book was not positive and was a waste of my time I felt."
"Each of these short stories ended in what one call the 'wrong way.'"
"I wonder how much Coca Cola paid Ms. O'Connor for ad space."
"Sometimes, I think authors write stuff -- and there's no freaking 'theme' in it. They just wrote it, and they are laughing at you for all of your analyzing."
"In particular, plotwise, I thought the stop at the restaurant added very little to the overall tale except for maybe a few pages of length."
"Maybe this was groundbreaking back in the day--a Southern woman telling it like it was, instead of being all polite and ladylike--but it's uninteresting today. Kind of like how I'm not all that impressed by Star Wars."
"I wouldn't recommend this book. I picked it up thinking it would give me a great story about a certain man in this world . . . and it squelched my hopes. I have a husband I love dearly and hardly get to see. When I do, I want to appreciate him more vs. find myself dwelling on the negative. This book was not positive and was a waste of my time I felt."
"Each of these short stories ended in what one call the 'wrong way.'"
"I wonder how much Coca Cola paid Ms. O'Connor for ad space."
"Sometimes, I think authors write stuff -- and there's no freaking 'theme' in it. They just wrote it, and they are laughing at you for all of your analyzing."
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Bible IV
"In my studies of religion I remain open minded to all.
But this... I do not find logic or basis in."
"I was expecting something so erotic the pages should have caught fire.
Suffice to say, I was sorely disapointed."
"As a religious tome and source of dogmatic 'rules' it's a ridiculous crock of sh**. As an atheist, I've read every word and usually have a few quotes saved up to use in arguments."
"there are better books in general now, way more relevant too."
"Meh. The action was ok I guess but mostly pointless, plot was pretty much nonexistent, and that god dude was a total jerk. Also had a lot of strange grammatical errors."
"I can't find any cross references that support what this book says, and the multiple authors constantly seem to contradict themselves."
"What can you say about one of the most boring books of all time, yet still tops the charts for best-selling fiction. Firstly the writing style is atrocious. It's like twenty guys were only given part of the story and told to make it up and make it all fit. The inconsistencies are everywhere. They really needed a better editor.
And with so many different cooks the styles are everywhere. From dry accountant listing everything person and every thing in exacting detail, to a fantasy nut who introduces magical staffs and mythical beings who communicate through burning botany ... But thankfully it isn't all just lists, and doom and gloom and wait yes it is. There's some comedy pieces like this guy Noah who forgot all the dinosaurs and left them to die instead of taking them on his super arc. Must have been a cold-hearted guy and let them drown like the chick in Titanic did to Leo. So did Noah paint the dinosaurs like one of his 'French girls'? ... I think the writers owe George Lucas some money for stealing his idea ... some minor magical fantasy pieces surrounded by the dullest of historical fantasy. At over 1000 pages, mostly with pretty small print, this tome makes for one hell of a paperweight and not much else. No wonder it's always left behind in hotels because people get 5 pages in and fall asleep. Do yourself a favour and go read some much better written historical fantasy. Or maybe Harry Potter. Hell maybe even Twilight. No scratch that, Twilight is still worse. Just."
"An appallingly badly written book. The prose is stilted, and the entire tome is both repetitive and unbelievable. It is difficult to see why the publishers would expect to be able to pass this off as anything other than a hotch-potch of poorly translated and thoroughly misunderstood mythology to any being with sufficient neurones to form a synapse."
"I have never read such drivel in all my life - how can any author claim that the Earth was built in 6 (or 7) days? Also how is it possible that the author claims that on the first day: Light is created ('Let there be light!') and then on the fourth day: god puts lights in the firmament (the fifth command) to separate light from darkness and to mark days, seasons and years. Two great lights are made to appear (most likely the Sun and Moon, but not named), and the stars.
If he created light on the first day, why did he then have to create light and dark on the fourth? Don't even get me started about the fact that the authors allege that a child was born to a 'virgin' (obviously a mistranslation of the words 'young woman')in the second section! This is obviously the work of a group of fanatical madmen. I am very sorry that I bought it and I'm planning to return it and claim a full refund."
"the most far-fetched load of drivel l have ever read in my life."
"Dull, dull, dull, badly written fantasy stories. It doesn't even work as a novel, let alone a guide to leading a good life.
Don't bother is my advice, try something by Tolkien instead"
"Ok for a nice bit of fiction, but lacks any realistic nature. I will stick with Harry Potter"
"I found this book insulting to my intelligence with an abundance of plot holes. Usually a fan of fiction, but this has turned me right off!"
"There are no literary devices employed to good measure. Don't bother reading this!"
"Great comedy
If your looking for a good comedy pick this up strait away... this is in no way true."
"Was just reading the incest story of Lot, i cant believe its called 'HOLY' bible."
"First things first. The stories in the Bible have been dictated by peasants and shepherds who lived in very backward areas of the Middle East. At this stage in world history, there were many civilizations who were centuries ahead of these nomads. However, the illiterate populace of the Middle East were drawn toward this cult of fear,ignorance and blind faith ... Some of the stories in the Bible are so ridiculous (Noah's Ark) and some are just unreadable (Job).The Bible is full of contradictions everywhere ... Read this book to see how ridiculously ignorant and foolish humans can be."
But this... I do not find logic or basis in."
"I was expecting something so erotic the pages should have caught fire.
Suffice to say, I was sorely disapointed."
"As a religious tome and source of dogmatic 'rules' it's a ridiculous crock of sh**. As an atheist, I've read every word and usually have a few quotes saved up to use in arguments."
"there are better books in general now, way more relevant too."
"Meh. The action was ok I guess but mostly pointless, plot was pretty much nonexistent, and that god dude was a total jerk. Also had a lot of strange grammatical errors."
"I can't find any cross references that support what this book says, and the multiple authors constantly seem to contradict themselves."
"What can you say about one of the most boring books of all time, yet still tops the charts for best-selling fiction. Firstly the writing style is atrocious. It's like twenty guys were only given part of the story and told to make it up and make it all fit. The inconsistencies are everywhere. They really needed a better editor.
And with so many different cooks the styles are everywhere. From dry accountant listing everything person and every thing in exacting detail, to a fantasy nut who introduces magical staffs and mythical beings who communicate through burning botany ... But thankfully it isn't all just lists, and doom and gloom and wait yes it is. There's some comedy pieces like this guy Noah who forgot all the dinosaurs and left them to die instead of taking them on his super arc. Must have been a cold-hearted guy and let them drown like the chick in Titanic did to Leo. So did Noah paint the dinosaurs like one of his 'French girls'? ... I think the writers owe George Lucas some money for stealing his idea ... some minor magical fantasy pieces surrounded by the dullest of historical fantasy. At over 1000 pages, mostly with pretty small print, this tome makes for one hell of a paperweight and not much else. No wonder it's always left behind in hotels because people get 5 pages in and fall asleep. Do yourself a favour and go read some much better written historical fantasy. Or maybe Harry Potter. Hell maybe even Twilight. No scratch that, Twilight is still worse. Just."
"An appallingly badly written book. The prose is stilted, and the entire tome is both repetitive and unbelievable. It is difficult to see why the publishers would expect to be able to pass this off as anything other than a hotch-potch of poorly translated and thoroughly misunderstood mythology to any being with sufficient neurones to form a synapse."
"I have never read such drivel in all my life - how can any author claim that the Earth was built in 6 (or 7) days? Also how is it possible that the author claims that on the first day: Light is created ('Let there be light!') and then on the fourth day: god puts lights in the firmament (the fifth command) to separate light from darkness and to mark days, seasons and years. Two great lights are made to appear (most likely the Sun and Moon, but not named), and the stars.
If he created light on the first day, why did he then have to create light and dark on the fourth? Don't even get me started about the fact that the authors allege that a child was born to a 'virgin' (obviously a mistranslation of the words 'young woman')in the second section! This is obviously the work of a group of fanatical madmen. I am very sorry that I bought it and I'm planning to return it and claim a full refund."
"the most far-fetched load of drivel l have ever read in my life."
"Dull, dull, dull, badly written fantasy stories. It doesn't even work as a novel, let alone a guide to leading a good life.
Don't bother is my advice, try something by Tolkien instead"
"Ok for a nice bit of fiction, but lacks any realistic nature. I will stick with Harry Potter"
"I found this book insulting to my intelligence with an abundance of plot holes. Usually a fan of fiction, but this has turned me right off!"
"There are no literary devices employed to good measure. Don't bother reading this!"
"Great comedy
If your looking for a good comedy pick this up strait away... this is in no way true."
"Was just reading the incest story of Lot, i cant believe its called 'HOLY' bible."
"First things first. The stories in the Bible have been dictated by peasants and shepherds who lived in very backward areas of the Middle East. At this stage in world history, there were many civilizations who were centuries ahead of these nomads. However, the illiterate populace of the Middle East were drawn toward this cult of fear,ignorance and blind faith ... Some of the stories in the Bible are so ridiculous (Noah's Ark) and some are just unreadable (Job).The Bible is full of contradictions everywhere ... Read this book to see how ridiculously ignorant and foolish humans can be."
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
George Berkeley - Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous
"I'm sorry. I just can't do it. If this wasn't a mandatory class I wouldn't be taking it. It's just sooo ugh. I just don't understand how philosophers can be sooo entranced by such questions. I can't imagine being troubled about how a rock that's hot doesn't feel the pain of heat but we (touching the rock) do. Really? To me, that's just logical. As sad as it is, I just can't come to appreciate philosophical questions. If I see it, can touch it, smell it or whatever, it's there and it exists. Period."
"BERKELEY IS LAME."
"My ultimate reaction to Berkeley and most other stuff in this philosophical vein is 'Yeah... So?'"
"George Berkeley is an exemplary example of why philosophers are known as crazy ... Claiming that there is no matter and everything we see is perception is unlikely to get you any brownie points."
"Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous is a Dialogue between two pretentious philosophical nitwits, discussing flatuence, food, and the nature of empty air.
In all, it's not very important, and only goes to prove that George Berkeley was a deluded immaterialist."
"BERKELEY IS LAME."
"My ultimate reaction to Berkeley and most other stuff in this philosophical vein is 'Yeah... So?'"
"George Berkeley is an exemplary example of why philosophers are known as crazy ... Claiming that there is no matter and everything we see is perception is unlikely to get you any brownie points."
"Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous is a Dialogue between two pretentious philosophical nitwits, discussing flatuence, food, and the nature of empty air.
In all, it's not very important, and only goes to prove that George Berkeley was a deluded immaterialist."
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